Literature and Human Rights

Professor Eli Park Sorensen will introduce his course “Literature and Human Rights“ during the YouTube Live Talk. Below is the course description:

“This course takes a closer look at the intimate connections between literature and human rights. The history of human rights has always been accompanied by literary texts; conversely, some of the most important literary texts in the world have focused on human rights issues. People who have suffered abuse and human rights violations have often articulated their painful stories in a variety of literary genres — in the hope of being heard, achieving recognition, bearing witness to events that have defined their lives. These stories thus constitute important documents around which rights campaigns and communities are built. During the course, we will look at the history of human rights literature, as well as various case studies — including Stolen Generation narratives in Australia, narratives by women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army, political dissident narratives, and more recent refugee literature. No previous studies in literature needed to take this course. Students interested exploring the relevance of literary imagination and narrative for human rights discourse are welcome to attend this course.”